Chapter 300
“You!”
“Hey . I would say it has been a while, but it hasn’t been that long, right?”
The man waved his hand through the air . Sungyoon was familiar with this man .
“Sung Hyunwoo!”
As always, Hyunwoo looked the same: calm and easygoing . He didn’t look like someone who had betrayed humanity .
‘No . A person like him is probably more capable of betraying humanity . ’
“That startled me . Why are you yelling so loud?”
Even though these words came out of his mouth, Hyunwoo didn’t look surprised at all .
“Ah! Are you trying to warn the person outside? You're quite proactive in many ways . ”
Sungyoon flinched, and his expression hardened . He had tried his best not to be too obvious, but there was no need for it . Hyunwoo already knew someone was outside .
“Is that Jimin?”
Sungyoon became tense when Hyunwoo turned his gaze outside .
“Don’t be so nervous . I’m not here to fight you today . ”
“You want me to believe that?”
“Don’t believe me then . Will you fight me while protecting Jimin? Do you think you can do it?”
Sungyoon had no answer for Hyunwoo's wicked words .
He had easily won against a higher rank Connector only because they had fought on Earth . There was no guarantee that the same thing would happen in a fight against Hyunwoo . In fact, the possibility of him getting messed up was higher .
The power difference between the two of them was that large .
‘I have to evacuate Jimin first . ’
As Sungyoon tried to come up with a solution, Hyunwoo spoke up in a friendly manner .
“Why don’t you come in too, Jimin!”
Hyunwoo shouted .
“Leave her be . ”
“Hmm? Ok! I don’t really care . ”
Hyunwoo readily agreed with Sungyoon, and this behavior confused Sungyoon .
‘What's he up to?’
He was sure Jimin now knew who was inside the house . She would be calling this in . Sungyoon was facing off against Hyunwoo; her course of action would be obvious . Hyunwoo knew this too, yet he was calm, and it Sungyoon all the more suspicious of Hyunwoo .
“What are you thinking right now?”
In the end, Sungyoon decided to be direct .
“What? Are you asking why I’m so composed? Even if the police come, they can’t stop me . It’ll be a while before anyone powerful enough to trouble me can arrive her . Also, I don’t plan on staying here long . ”
Hyunwoo didn’t say what Sungyoon had expected . He didn’t ask if Sungyoon was going to run away, or made any statements about not letting Sungyoon and Jimin go .
However, it didn’t change the fact that Sungyoon’s priority was protecting Jimin and the preservation of his own life .
Tuhnk!
Hyunwoo sat down on the sofa again . He got comfortable and crossed his legs as if this were his house .
“What are you doing? Sit! You're going to make the ceiling fall . ”
Sungyoon looked at him for a moment, then carefully sat in the opposite seat .
“Why are you here?”
“There’s nothing much to it . Didn’t I treat you especially well in the past? I’m just here to give you some advice . ”
“Please cut the bullshit . ”
“Why do you think I’m bullshitting? Which part? Do you dispute the fact that I’ve treated you well or are you skeptical that I’m willing to give you advice? I don’t know what you're thinking right now, but I’m telling the truth . I’ve told no lies . ”
Hyunwoo opened his arms wide as if to expose his heart . However, it was such an exaggerated gesture that it made his words sound insincere .
“I’m sure you guys are having a hard time in recent days . ”
Sungyoon realized that there was already an open bottle of hard liquor on the table . Hyunwoo took the bottle and calmly poured the liquid into a cup . Sungyoon glanced to the side and saw that a bottle was missing from his liquor cabinet .
“Ah . I’m borrowing this for now . ”
Hyunwoo was aware of what Sungyoon was doing, so he shook the bottle .
Sungyoon couldn't help but think that Hyunwoo had a thick skin .
Hyunwoo picked up the cup and downed the liquor . The liquor-filled cup became empty in an instant . The cup hadn't contained a single ice cube, but Hyunwoo had drunk the liquor straight without any problem .
“I don’t care if you treat my words as bullshit or not . I’ll just say what I have to say, then leave . ”
Tahk!
Hyunwoo heavily placed the cup on the table .
“Did you check the USB I gave you?”
“Are you talking about the information on how to defeat Grenoid? It was interesting, but considering the source of the information, I have a hard time believing it . ”
“Yes . I guess it's to be expected . ”
Hyunwoo chuckled even though Sungyoon had basically insulted him .
“However, it's the truth . ”
Hyunwoo poured himself another cup .
“That place has what you all desperately want: the method to stop the monsters from attacking Earth . ”
If Hyunwoo was right, humanity had to acquire this method at all costs . At their current trajectory, they would only walk down the path of extinction without putting up any resistance .
It might be considered a loser’s mentality to make such a quick determination of their current situation, but a consensus had developed even amongst the higher-ups . Everyone was pessimistic .
“Let’s say you're right . Why are you telling us this?”
Sungyoon suddenly remembered the Mayor's words .
“Are you perhaps a spy? Did you infiltrate the monsters for humanity's sake?”
Hyunwoo burst out laughing . His laughter was loud and violent as if he had heard the world’s funniest joke .
“Ha ha ha ha ha! Is that what they are saying about me?”
“I’m guessing that’s not the case by your reaction . ”
“Did someone say those words in front of Plu-El?”
“She hated it . ”
Hyunwoo’s laughter became louder, and tears even appeared in his eyes . He clutched at his stomach as he laughed . As if that wasn’t enough, his body bent over like a shrimp as he pounded the table .
“Man, that was a funny story . ”
Hyunwoo finally calmed down . However, as if he didn’t have control over his laughter, he kept having fits of laughter .
“Yes, yes! I have to pay you back for making me laugh so hard! I’ll answer your question!”
Hyunwoo mumbled . It seemed he had come for that purpose anyway . He looked at Sungyoon .
“Who brought up that conjecture?”
“The Mayor . ”
“I have a message for him . ”
Hyunwoo’s eyes were still full of mirth . However, contempt and ridicule appeared within them too .
“Tell him to stop thinking about such bullshit . He should stick to doing his job and take care of the immediate problems in front of him . ”
“In the end, you just confirmed that you betrayed us . What do you want? Authority?”
“Authority? Well, it isn’t bad to have it . ”
Hyunwoo's attitude showed that he wasn't really interested in it .
“I will tell you this . There are indeed things I desire, but for now, I don’t want to tell you what those are . If you need to know the reason I’m doing this, you can make it up for all I care . You can think of me as a person crazy about wealth or a person thirsting for power . I don’t really care . ”
Hyunwoo directly placed the bottle to his lips . The bottle had been only half empty, yet Hyunwoo chugged the strong liquor in a flash .
“Hoo~! As always, this is good stuff . ”
This liquor was from a brand Hyunwoo enjoyed . Satisfaction appeared in his eyes, and he placed his hand in his pocket .
Sungyoon became tense . Fortunately, Hyunwoo didn’t bring out his weapon, but his wallet . He took out a couple of bills . It seemed he was paying for the liquor he had consumed .
At a glance, Sungyoon could tell the amount was far above the retail price of the liquor bottle .
“I added a little extra . ”
Hyunwoo mumbled as he put his wallet away . Money was useless to him .
“Since my business is done here, it's time for me to go . I’m sure people will soon arrive here to interrupt this meeting . ”
He glanced at his watch as he stood up from the sofa .
As Hyunwoo headed toward the front door, Sungyoon felt conflicted watching his back .
‘Should I really let him go like this?’
He was fully armed, and Hyunwoo wasn’t . Moreover, the only one capable of activating Gems in an instant was him .
If he attacked, he could overwhelm Hyunwoo . Even if Hyunwoo was an amazing Connector, without his Gems, he was just a little stronger than a normal human .
“Don’t even think about it . ”
Hyunwoo’s words took Sungyoon by surprise . Then, Hyunwoo lazily brought his hand up .
Sungyoon saw a sword in his hand .
‘When did he?’
The sword's appearance shocked Sungyoon . He hadn’t seen any movements that indicated Hyunwoo was trying to activate his Gems .
‘Did he activate it in an instant like me?’
Hyunwoo didn’t pay attention to Sungyoon’s dismay as he put away his weapon .
“Even I wouldn’t come here without making any preparations . This is especially true when I’m meeting a monster like you, who can activate a Gem in an instant . Right now, you can't win against me . ”
Hyunwoo calmly put his shoes on . After he tapped the nose of his shoes on the ground, he opened the front door . Sungyoon carefully followed Hyunwoo out .
Jimin was standing at the corner of the front yard, and her phone was in her hand . She looked at the two of them .
After contacting the authorities, Jimin had been a nervous wreck as she waited outside .
She now looked at Hyunwoo . No, she glared at him .
Sungyoon quickly went across the yard to stand in front of Jimin . The probability of a fight breaking out was low, but he had to protect her .
“You're a great couple . Should I give you a wedding gift?”
“We don’t want it . ”
“We don’t want it . ”
Hyunwoo had been about to take out his wallet once again, and he cackled .
“You're a married couple through and through . ”
“Let me ask you this question . ”
Jimin ignored his joke as she spoke up .
There was an edge to her voice, and her fingers were trembling a little . She calmed herself by taking a couple of deep breaths, and she unconsciously placed a finger on Sungyoon’s armor .
“Did you really kill my father?”
“Yes . ”
Hyunwoo said without any hesitation . His words, expression, and attitude were as calm as ever .
He had revealed the truth about killing his best friend; he did it in front of his best friend’s daughter . Yet, he had such an attitude . It was unimaginable .
“… Why?”
Her voice was strained as if a rock weighing several tons had settled within her throat . She felt as though she were forcing air through a constricted tube . However, this didn’t stop her from speaking .
“Why did you kill him?”
She looked at Hyunwoo, who had stopped laughing .
“Was it really about money? Is that really… He was your close friend . ”
Her voice steadily grew louder .
“So why did you do it!”
In the end, she let out a wail and became unsteady on her feet . Sungyoon propped her up .
“Friend . . . . ”
Hyunwoo looked at the sky .
There was a slender crescent Moon in the night sky . It looked like the sneering lips of a human . Hyunwoo lowered his gaze . A coldness had appeared in his eyes .
“Was I really his friend?”
“What?”
“Your father wasn’t as kind as you make it out to be . ”
Hyunwoo looked at Sungyoon .
“I’ll guarantee this . If your father were alive, you probably wouldn’t have been able to marry your current husband . ”
After dropping those incomprehensible words, Hyunwoo turned around . He was overtly showing that he no longer intended to continue this conversation .
“Woo Sungyoon . Do not forget about the advice I gave you . ”
With those last words, Hyunwoo disappeared into the dark night .
Sungyoon and Jimin had no plans of chasing after him . The two of them just stared at the location where Hyunwoo had disappeared as sirens filled the air .